Introduction

Communication Disorders involve a wide variety of problems in speech, language, and hearing. For example, speech and language disorders include stuttering, aphasia, dysfluency, voice disorders (hoarseness, breathiness, or sudden breaks in loudness or pitch), cleft lip and/or palate, articulation problems, delays in speech and language, autism, and phonological disorders.

Speech and language impairments and disorders can be attributed to environmental factors, of which the most commonly known are High Risk Register problems, which include drugs taken during pregnancy, common STD's such as syphilis, and birthing trauma to name a few. Communication disorders can also stem from other conditions such as learning disabilities, dyslexia, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation.

Individuals with communication disorders have considerable difficulty making themselves clearly understood and may also have difficulty composing their thoughts and ideas or in understanding what is said by others. These difficulties are generally due to neurological or mechanical disabilities involving the voice. A child with a communication disorder may also present such characteristics as the inability to follow instructions or slow incomprehensive speech.

Please note that those communication disabilities due to hearing or vision impairments are covered in the hearing or vision impairment sections of this document. General Strategies

• Accept the fact that a disability exists. Not acknowledging the fact is not acknowledging the person.
• Develop a protocol for the student to tell you when he/she anticipates a need for assistance.
• Speak directly to the student with a disability as you would any other student.
• Students with communication disorders should be encouraged to discuss their functional difficulties and needs in private during the first week of classes and to talk about ways to compensate.
• When it appears that a student needs help, ask if you can help. Accept a "No Thank You" graciously.
• Encourage classmates to accept the student with communication problems.
• Be a good speech model. This will indicate to all that good communication is desirable.
• An atmosphere conductive to easy and good interactive communication should be established and maintained in the classroom.
• Consult a Speech Language expert concerning each child with a communicative disorder in your class and be sure to work with him/her.
• Keep up-to-date with the child's accomplishments in therapy.

• Maintain contact with student.
• Allow students to tape lectures.
• Provide and interpreter (signed English or American Sign Language) to those who require another form of communication.
• Encourage and assist in facilitation of participation in activities and discussions.
• Be patient.
• Model an atmosphere of acceptance and understanding in the classroom.
• Be a good listener.

• Allow more time for the student to complete activities.
• Place the student within reasonable distance from the instructor to meet their needs.
• Anticipate areas of difficulty in access and involve the student in doing the same. Together, work out alternate procedures while trying not to disengage the student from the activity.
• For students who cannot use the computer because of other physical limitations in their hands or arms, explore avenues for obtaining adaptive access software, (including Unicorn keyboards), special switches, Power Pads, eye controlled input systems, touch screens, footmice, and other special equipment.
• Consider alternate activities/exercises that can be utilized with less difficulty for the student, but has the same or similar learning objectives.
• If appropriate, provide assistance, but also provide positive reinforcement when the student shows the ability to do something unaided.
• Use a peer-buddy system when appropriate.
• Lastly, consider alternate activities/exercises that can be utilized with less difficulty for the student, but has the same or similar learning objectives.

• Encourage classmates to accept the student with communicative problems.
• An atmosphere conductive to easy and good interactive communication should be established and maintained in the classroom.
• Encourage and assist in facilitation of participation in activities and discussions.
• Allow more time for the student to complete activities.

• Review and explain to the student the steps involved in a research activity. Think about which step(s) may be difficult for the specific functional limitations of the student and jointly devise accommodations for that student.
• Use appropriate lab and field strategies according to the nature of the research.
• Allow more time for the student to complete activities.
• With the student, work out alternate procedures which do not disengage the student from the activity.
• Anticipate areas of difficulty in access and involve the student with a communication disability in doing the same. Together, work out alternate procedures while trying to disengage the student from the activity.
• If appropriate, provide assistance, but also provide positive reinforcement when the student shows the ability to do something unaided.

• Discuss with the student any needs, problems or alternatives he/she anticipates in the field learning environment.
• Consider alternate activities/exercises that can be utilized with less difficulty for the student, but has the same or similar learning objectives.
• Make special advance arrangements with curators during passive visiting field trips.
• When information gathering involves a physical action that the impaired student cannot perform, try a different experience yielding the same information.
• In the field, provide assistance, but also provide positive reinforcement when the student shows the ability to do something unaided.

• Allow more time for the student with communication impairments to complete assignments and test in their optimal mode of communication.
• Design test that are appropriate for the child's disorder (written instead of oral or vice versa.)
• Writers could be provided for test taking if the individual requires the assistance.
• Check to be sure that test instructions are completely understood by the child and provide any additional assistance that may be needed.
Last updated:
February 2, 2002

Web Master
Ed Keller